EFMA MEMBER PROFILE
Shifting gears Profile of Dino Stiglich Director of Facilities, New Westminster School District
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housands of students, hundreds of staff, and a pandemic to work around. Working in high volume requires diligence, perseverance, and a love of multitasking. Dino Stiglich has been the Director of Facilities and Operations for the New Westminster School District for five years, serving 12 schools — one secondary school, eight elementary schools, and three middle schools. His 20-year career in facilities management has kept him busy and allowed him to explore many regions including Williams Lake, the Sunshine Coast, Saskatchewan, and Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island. Going from the quiet seaside community of Qualicum Beach to the bustling district of New Westminster is what Stiglich enjoys about his position in operations. “This school district has had me hopping since day one,” he says. “Because it’s a growing district, we are building new schools which is a far cry from the school closures that were happening a number of years ago due to lower enrollment.” The district currently has approximately 7,000 students and continues to grow with construction of new elementary and high schools under way. Stiglich says the hustle and bustle is what he loves about his career, and that once things would get settled and organized, he would look for a new challenge which is what he got when he started with 20
Ops Talk • Fall 2020
the New Westminster School District in 2015. He agrees that this year has brought its own unique challenges with the Covid-19 pandemic changing the way the world operates and interacts. “Our first priority is to keep students and staff safe,” says Stiglich. “We feel really lucky to have all the students back.” On top of updating health and safety procedures and purchasing safety equipment, Stiglich has been coordinating the purchase and installation of touchless taps for the sinks throughout their schools. He is also coordinating the construction of four outdoor play and learning centres at École Glenbrook Middle School, Keekike École Qayqayt Ele men tary School, Lord Kelvin Ele men tary School, and Queen Elizabeth Elementary School. “I enjoy what I do, it’s exciting to coordinate a project and see it through to completion.” Shifting gears from his fast-paced work day, Stiglich enjoys the peaceful tranquility of the outdoors where he hunts, fishes, and hits the open road on his Harley Davidson motorbike. And, when he’s had enough of the leisurely pace, Stiglich shifts gears again to spend time with his large family which includes eight grandchildren who are aged from four to 16 years old. He also says that he enjoys attending the EMFA conference each year. “Everybody looks forward to the conference. It’s
a great opportunity to get answers to questions, learn new ideas, and share ideas with other members. There’s so much knowledge in one room, and there’s always someone who has had the same experience as you did and will have a different angle on how they resolved an issue.” Plus, there’s another incentive that Stiglich looks forward to, “It also gives me a chance to catch up on some fishing after the conference.” n
